County to add 750 new units of housing
Maricopa County has dedicated more than $27 million of federal pandemic-relief funds to build new affordable housing across metro Phoenix, with priority for older adults, families and people experiencing chronic homelessness.
The five new projects, planned from Glendale to Mesa, are expected to bring more than 750 new units of housing to the Valley.
With these new investments, Maricopa County joins a growing number of local governments using the influx of federal funds from the pandemic to counter long-term issues with homelessness and housing affordability.
“This funding we’ve been able to receive from the federal government is clearly unprecedented and being able to have this opportunity to make decisions that will impact our community not just today but for years to come has been very important,” Jacqueline Edwards, Maricopa County human services director, said.
Maricopa County is expected to dedicate even more federal funds to future affordable housing projects. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved an additional $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for housing and supportive services.
“It doesn’t just bring opportunity today for individuals and their families, but it brings hope and opportunity for years to come by increasing our affordable housing stock,” Edwards said.
Glendale senior housing
The county gave $9.5 million to Mercy Housing Mountain Plains to develop 144 affordable apartments for people age 55 and older on 4.4 acres of vacant land in Glendale at the northwest corner of 49th Avenue and West Glenn Drive.
The new complex will have 115 onebedroom units and 29 two-bedroom units.
Older adults have become a signifi
more than $4 million.
“We are transmitting the following responsive items that were to be turned over to your offices for further review as public records,” the Logans’ lawyer David Hardy wrote to the Senate Friday. “The files are sufficiently large as to choke my email system, and so have enclosed them on a data DVD.”
Lawmakers must explain their reasoning for withholding any documents they choose not to release to the public.
Hardy’s letter indicated the Logans were releasing 1,062 pages on the disc.
Cyber Ninjas had indicated it could have 60,000 documents to turn over.
Cyber Ninjas until now has refused to turn over anything but about 300 documents previously given to the Senate.
“We are continuing to assemble and prepare additional files for your review. It is now impossible to estimate the total size of the data involved,” Hardy wrote.
His letter said Cyber Ninjas was turning over contracts and related documents from subcontractors Wake Technology Services Inc., Catkins Maize, StratTech Solutions, CyFIR LLC, “Jovan” and “Dr. Shiva.”
Jovan appears to be Jovan Pulitzer, a conspiratorial ex-treasure hunter who claimed to have invented technology that can detect fraudulent ballots.
Pulitzer claimed he would be involved in the Arizona audit, although emails previously obtained from the Senate indicate Senate President Karen Fann thought he was inappropriate for the work, which is why Cyber Ninjas was chosen instead.
Dr. Shiva appears to be Shiva Ayyadurai, who was paid $50,000 to analyze digital images of the envelopes that voters used to return their early ballots. Ayyadurai has promoted various election conspiracies, and his findings contained numerous flaws and showed a lack of understanding of the county’s procedures for checking the authenticity of voter signatures.
The Arizona Republic last year requested emails, text messages and all other communications from the Senate, which ordered the election review, and Cyber Ninjas, the head contractor. A left-leaning watchdog group called American Oversight made a similar request to the Senate.
When the Senate and Cyber Ninjas declined to provide the records, The Republic and American Oversight filed separate lawsuits alleging violations of the Arizona Pubic Records Law.
Two Maricopa County Superior Court judges said the records were public and should be turned over, and the state Court of Appeals concurred. The cases eventually were consolidated.
The Arizona Supreme Court declined to accept a challenge regarding records from Cyber Ninjas in September.
The Senate has turned over thousands of records, but still fights to protect some of its communications from release, citing “legislative privilege.”
The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to review that issue. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Hardy’s letter signaled the Logans will seek compensation from the Senate for having to produce the records. He suggested the work was not part of the agreement the company had to conduct the audit.
“The Logans are here acting as alleged custodians of the Senate’s records, but are not Senate employees or agents, or being otherwise compensated for their efforts,” Hardy wrote. “Second, per the terms of the Senate’s contract with (Cyber Ninjas), the Senate is in violation of the terms and conditions of that agreement. We would reserve the right to seek appropriate relief.”
Ninjas’ lawyer wants new judge
Meanwhile, Cyber Ninjas’ attorney Jack Wilenchik is trying, again, to get a new judge in the case. He continues to represent the company while Hardy represents the Logans personally.
Wilenchik tried to have Judge John Hannah removed because the lawyer said the judge was biased. The case was consolidated under Kemp, so that request became moot. Now Wilenchik argues Kemp is influenced by “inflammatory” news articles about the case.
During the April court hearing, Kemp said that he read in the newspaper that Logan was confused by previous orders from judges to turn over records. The Arizona Republic reported Logan’s confusion after a testy deposition Logan participated in earlier this year.
“I believe that when a judge is discovered to be reading the newspaper’s reports about a case over which he is presiding, in which the same newspaper is the plaintiff, it creates at the minimum a reasonable appearance of impropriety, especially when the judge is the trier of fact,” Wilenchik wrote.
In an 18-page document seeking to remove the judge, Wilenchik references “ancient Hebrew law” and an 1807 trial of “former Vice President Aaron Burr.”
“First: judges should not be reading the newspaper about their own case — particularly when the newspaper is the plaintiff,” Wilenchik wrote. “Second: judges must not initiate, permit or consider ex parte communications.”
Wilenchik said it pained him to make such a request.
“Frankly, counsel feels racked and heartbroken in having to file this motion,” he wrote. “But justice is not about lawyers or judges. It is about protecting the fundamental rights of defendants to a fair hearing, and this always takes precedence.”